Two Shoes
by Kanon-Chan
Summary: When a wandering Englishman stumbles across a humble Colombian weaver, he is drawn into a spicy salsa dance. But what happens when he reveals things to her that she had wanted kept locked away? Oneshot.


Two Shoes

Author's note: I really wanted to write a RoRoKen fic that was based off of some sort of exotic dance. o.o So, I chose the salsa dancing for this reason. Also, the title came from an Australian band's (The Cat Empire) song. It's a great song. The salsa music I'm listening to, to get inspiration are mostly by Hector Lavoe. So, please, enjoy. :)

* * *

"Come on, Kaoru," Megumi prodded as they walked along the darkened streets of Cali, Colombia. The beautiful city was tucked way in the Valle de Cauca, or the Cauca Valley, which was considered the heart of the country. The corruption of the government had yet taint the city of its culture and women could still walk the streets at night.

Kaoru, dressed in a long skirt and simple blouse, groaned as her friend pulled her along towards the center of the city. The Cali Festival was in full swing and Megumi had insisted that they venture away from their homes to the event. Kaoru was not one for large groups, mind you, and could easily have amused herself for the night with some other form of activity or task. However, Megumi had almost pleaded that she accompany her to the Festival and Kaoru had relented.

The women were simple weavers on the outside of the city and lived in simple houses with simple needs. Megumi was striving to gain a better life, constantly searching for a way to avoid working at the loom. Her attempts had failed but the worst was when she returned from Bogota. The capitol city was overrun with crime and she had been mugged of what little money she had been carrying the second night she was there. Kaoru was not surprised, but nonetheless, she pitied her friend's attempts to search for a better life.

Kaoru herself was not one who wanted to step outside her comfort zone. She was content weaving at the loom day in and day out. The familar pattern was comforting to her and she felt no need to change that. Her fingers were trained to work with a loom and she was skilled enough to bring in a decent salary. The loom was like her friend and the wool was her emotions. She spun each emotion onto her friend and formed a beautiful work of art that would just be walked on. However, she felt satisfied whenever she had finished a job, regardless of the fate of the piece.

Both the girls had met each other at work -- stationed next to each other. Megumi was the newer of the two and was still having problems weaving when Kaoru had started talking to her. Kaoru had noticed and offered to teach her some basic weaving that would help her master the complex weaving that they were required to use. Megumi had agreed, and after weeks of lessons, she was finally able to make her first piece without any mistakes. They chatted with each other at work : politics, economics, hobbies, friends, gossip -- you name it, they talked about it at least once.

"It'll be fun," Megumi said, her voice light and cheerful. " It's a nice break from that dank room that we have to sit in for most of our lives. " Her dark eyes were shining with a childlike ambition and her long hair flowed behind her.

"What if I like that room?" Kaoru countered. Megumi crinkled her nose and laughed at Kaoru's ernest expression. " I do happen to find weaving very calming," She continued but smiled at her friend's excitment for the Festival.

"You're weird," Megumi commented as she pointed an accusing finger at Kaoru but smiled regardless. " But I promised Sano that I would show up for the festival. He did promise he would behave this time." Kaoru sighed as she remembered what had happened last year at the Festival. He had gotten intoxicated and nearly destroyed half of the band's property when he and another man got into a fight over the price of beer.

"I see," Kaoru said simply as she brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. " I do hope that it doesn't end up with him being banned from the festival for life, though," She confessed as her shoulders shook as she held in laughter.

"Maybe you'll meet someone," Megumi said abruptly as she took her friend's pale hand. In a humorous imitation of a man proposing, she got onto one knee and stared up at Kaoru. " Kaoru, marry me, mi amor," She asked in her imitation man voice. Megumi's face was so ernest that Kaoru would have accepted on the spot if a male wore that same expression.

"Oh, of course," She said sarcastically as she shook Megumi's hand off hers and put them on her hips. She flipped her skirt, the long red garment flowing behind her elegantly. The skirt was the color of fire -- reds, oranges, and yellows all meeting together into one beautiful crimson shade. It was long, trailing to above her ankles. Kaoru had to bunch it into one hand at times when she descended stairs that climbed up the valley's walls.

" Are you going to dance?" Megumi questioned as she brought up Kaoru's weakness. The other girl shook her head furiously, cheeks flushed. She refused to dance unless she was by herself. Even then, it was seldom she was caught in the act. Her natural grace made her a beautiful dancer -- her natural rhythm was apparent when she walked. Men swooned when her gentle hips swayed side to side, her step full of energy.

"Of course not," Kaoru managed to choke out. " It's not like I have a need to. It's not practical." She turned away from Megumi's knowing stare, almost feeling the urge to flee and return home. " I do, however, want something to eat. It's been too long since lunch," She remarked. Her stomach simply gurgled in agreement and Megumi raised her eyebrow in turn. Kaoru rubbed at her stomach, willing it to quiet down and behave itself.

"Fine, fine," Megumi repeated as she threw her hands up in surrender. " We'll get something to eat, find Sano, and force you to dance." Kaoru stuck her tongue out at the last part of her statement. She gently socked her friend in the shoulder and grinned.

"I'm going to get some food," She said. " You go find Sano. I'll meet you at the dance floor." Megumi's eyes glistened with hope as she mentioned the dance floor. " And no, I'm not making promises," Kaoru warned as she waved her friend off. She flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder and headed over towards the outer ring of the festival -- hoping to locate a food vender who was selling nice, warm, food.

As she walked underneath the brightly lit lanterns, Kaoru turned her head to the side, as she caught a curious shade of red passing her. Stopping in her tracks, she turned around and saw a red-haired man walking in the opposite direction of her. He was around her height, maybe an inch taller or so. He was well built and moving along briskly.

' Strange,' She thought to herself. ' I would have thought he would have been heading towards the Festival.' Staring after him until he got washed away into the crowd of people, she shrugged and turned back towards her original destination.

Upon reaching her destination, a small food stall, she reached into her pouch and pulled a neatly pressed coin that shimmered a beautiful copper color in the faint light that the stall vendor had set up. Pressing it into the man's hand, he handed her a small tortilla stuffed with a healthy portion of ground beef and spiced within an inch of its life. Kaoru nodded her thanks and retreated from the stall, carrying the precious food with her as she headed for the more crowded area of the festival.

"Excuse me, Señorita." Kaoru turned as she heard a soft voice through the crowd. She didn't understand why she knew it was for her, but regardless, she turned. Coming face to face with the red-haired man she had JUST seen walking by, she got a good look at his face. He was handsome enough -- dark eyes complemented his auburn hair. There was a cross shaped scar on his left cheek, but instead of being a blemish, it gave him a mysterious look that intensified his appeal.

"Yes?" She asked slowly, not sure what the red-haired stranger was requesting.

"Can you point the dance floor to me?" Kaoru's face darkened for a moment, cursing herself when she realised that there would be no escaping anyone who wanted her within a foot of the dance floor. Seeing her expression, the male offered a half-assed smile. " I'm meeting a friend there," He explained.

"Sure," She replied around a mouth full of food, satisfied that he was not requesting a dance of her. " I can take you there -- I'm meeting a companion as well," She remarked. Motioning for him to follow her, the red-hair stranger fell into step with her, walking gently beside her. He almost seemed to glide over the ground -- his feet skimming the surface gently as he matched her stride.

"May I ask your name?" He questioned mildly. Kaoru noticed he had a thick accent, but his Spanish was flawless.

"Kaoru," She answered slowly. " Kaoru of Cali." The male stared at her curiously, almost as though he couldn't believe she stated her native town with her name. Kaoru, meanwhile, was more concerned about determining where he came from. His accent wasn't Spanish, so she ruled out Spain as his motherland. He was too light to be from Portugal, so she crossed that country off her list.

"May I request the same?" She asked.

"Kenshin of London," He replied steadily.

' English,' She thought. Staring at him, she couldn't understand why an Englishman would be in Colombia. They normally stayed up North in the United States,somehow causing trouble to the poor Americans. The only foreigners from Europe she had ever encountered were the Spanish. Aragon, they claimed to be from.

"I'm here on business," He explained as though reading her mind. " I deal with colonies and their representatives." Kaoru blinked, trying to consume that he was a high ranking official in the British government. Now that she was looking at him -- physically, he did resemble a European greatly. He was stocky, and his clothes (she had neglected to notice before) were very formal. He was wearing a simple white shirt, dark pants, and he was carrying a black jacket over his shoulder.

"Your Spanish is very good," She offered hesitantly. Despite hearing his accent tainting the beautiful language, it was flawless. It made it more interesting -- hearing a British man speaking such a romantic language. Colombians everywhere would be proud that this man didn't butcher the language. She eyed him casually, trying to read his expression. He was simply smiling a small smile and his eyes were neutral.

"Thank you."

As they drew closer to the dance floor where most of the city was gathering, the music started to get louder. The music seemed to be able to filter the loud noise of the crowd -- the cheering, laughing, and shouting. No matter how loud it got, the music was always audible from a distance.

"It's very spirited," Kenshin remarked as he noticed two young children push past him, laughing and chattering happily as they squeezed through the crowd and onto the dance floor. Kaoru simply nodded in agreement, not really sure if she agreed with him or not. To her, it was not the festival that was the fun part -- it was the music that made her enjoy it. Despite taking her oath not to dance, she still took great care to listen to the music without a critical ear.

A flash of Megumi's green skirt caught her attention and Kaoru waved at her friend. Megumi immediately noticed Kaoru and her lips flicked upwards when she noticed Kaoru had a man in tow with her. The woman turned away for a moment, talking to a man Kaoru recongized as Sanosuke, and then turned back to her, waving her over to come join them.

"Shall we?" Kenshin asked hesitantly as he extended his hand towards Kaoru. She saw it as a friendly gesture, a formal behavior, and took his hand. She noticed it was bigger than hers, yet it was warm and the grip was gentle. She could feel the worn, leathery, skin touch her own and her cheeks started to flush.

"Kaoru," Sanosuke said in greeting as he nodded his head in greeting. He turned to Kenshin and grinned broadly. " And you! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Almost three years," Kenshin answered. The look Kaoru and Megumi gave him must have indicated there was an air of confusion. He and Sanosuke shared their own quick look before nodding.

"Let's sit down," Sanosuke suggested. " Then I'll be able to explain to you why I know him. " Megumi took his arm and held on as he pushed his way towards the tables on the inner ring of the dance floor. Kenshin followed along, checking over his shoulder to make sure Kaoru was still within walking distance of him.

After fighting through the crowd, they managed to snag a table for four near the center of the floor. The band was opposite of them, playing their spicy hot salsa music with hints of samba every now and then. A string of paper lanterns was hung above their heads, providing sufficient light. Every know and then, they would glance up and see a dancing couple swing by and Megumi always shot Kaoru a 'You know you want to' look from across the table.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Kaoru questioned as she coughed a couple times to clear her throat. " It's uncommon for a British man to be in these parts, much less know the locals." She turned her head to Kenshin who was nodding slightly in agreement. His dark eyes caught hers and he gave her a small smile that made warmth flood through Kaoru's body all the way down to her toes. She couldn't understand this man -- why was he so polite and not forceful? With her experience, European explorers were usually forceful around native women.

"It started about three years ago," He started. " I was around the Bolovia/Colombian border and I was doing an inspection of the security on Colombia's part as part of a report for the King. It was about noon when I realised that I was being watched by unseen eyes." He laughed nervously at that part.

" I've never seen someone put up such a good fight," Sanosuke remarked. " The native tribes were throwing pretty much their whole supply of weapons at him, yet he just cut them down with his sword. " Putting his hands behind his back, he leaned backwards in his chair. " I'd been passing through doing my routine business and just observed the whole damned thing. " Grinning he socked Kenshin in the shoulder. " Never would have thought such a shorty would be able to take 'em down, I tell ya."

"It was not that good a fight, " Kenshin protested. " It was merely self-defense." Kaoru's eyes were wide as she took in all this information. This seemingly gentle, kind, man was able to hold his own? He looked weak and fragile, but he managed to completely defend himself against a native tribe? She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

"Provided, I didn't get away uninjured," He mentioned as he pointed at the cross-shape scar on his cheek. " This is a little reminder of the whole fight, I suppose." Megumi eyed his scar, taking it in. She could only imagine how close those weapons were to make such a clear and precise mark.

"Oh my," She managed to choke out but was stopped when she noticed a child rurnning up to them. Recongizing it as one of the village children, she smiled as the child approached Kaoru. The other woman bent down to the child's level and the child bent over and whispered something into her ear. Kaoru must have groaned inwardly because her expression dampened for a moment. However, the moment was soon over and she nodded slowly in agreement. The child took her hand and dragged her out of her seat and towards the dance floor.

"She hasn't been that easy to get," Sanosuke remarked dryly. " I'm surprised she's even doing it for a child." He ran a hand through his hair and grinned like an idiot. "We'll see what happens, right, Megumi?"

"We know what will happen," Megumi answered. " It's just a matter of how well she can do it without attracting too much attention to herself." Kenshin shot her a confused look and Megumi noticed. " Basically, she's going to dance... but she's taken an oath not to dance with men."

"Which, for the most part, sucks for the rest of us," Sanosuke complained. Megumi shot him an annoyed look and his whining quickly ceased. Her foxy features turned back to Kaoru who was bent over so she could dance with the child. " She's turned down offers from Bogota to become a dancer." Sanosuke commented as he crossed his arms.

"Why would she do that? " Kenshin questioned as he stared after her and rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. " To turn down such a wonderful proposal?"

"It just shows how she likes her current life," Megumi said quietly. " Kaoru lost her father at an early age and her mother soon after. She's always been a bit withdrawn from the rest of the city and doesn't like to really go through dramatic changes. " She felt a smile creep over her features. " She's a creature of habit, that's all. It's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it's always a bit rough for her."

"I suppose so," Kenshin agreed slowly. Something about this female intrigued him, but what exactly was it? He had noticed her as he was walking away from the festival, searching for Sanosuke. He had felt her eyes on his back, eyeing his movements and stride. It wasn't probing, though, it was simply she was watching and observing. Somehow, he managed to deduct that this woman was a bit more friendly and willing to help. He was amazed at what laid underneath her seemingly normal exterior.

"Look at her go!" Megumi gasped through her hands as her smiled widened. The two men turned their attention to Kaoru who was caught into a fast salsa with the child. Kaoru had picked the child up and was supporting her against her side as she did a one woman salsa. Her feet were skimming the ground as she fell into the basic eight step, but despite the primitive steps of the dance, Kaoru did them with an overwhelming sense of grace.

The child was shrieking with laughter and Kaoru spun around. Kenshin caught the large smile on her face and chuckled. For being such an incredible creature, she was full of surprises. She moved her feet in such a manner her skirt swirled around, making it seem like a large flower blooming. She moved perfectly to the band -- the salsa music full of life and passion. The music seemed to form a story and the dancers were the actors and actresses. Each of them was moving differently and when put together they made a beautiful performance.

"She's pretty good, ain't she?" Sanosuke asked with a cocky grin. Turning towards Kenshin, he noticed the fixation of his gaze on Kaoru. " I'm thinking you want to dance with her, am I right?" Kenshin tore his eyes away from the child and Kaoru for a moment and stared right through Sanosuke.

"Perhaps," He simply answered.

"Oh, my," Megumi said as she tried to stifle a laugh. " Well, perhaps she'll break her oath if you beg enough." Kenshin shot Megumi a look that seemed hopeful yet knowing that the answer would still be 'no' regardless if he begged or simply asked.

"How long has she kept that oath?" Kenshin questioned as he rose to his feet.

"Oh, I'd say about seven years," Sanosuke replied easily. " She's pretty good at keeping her word. The last man to dance with her was probably her father before he died, right, Megumi?" The woman nodded and crossed her arms. " Kaoru has never really gotten over her father dying. I guess dancing brings back a few bad memories.. although I'd argue she still enjoys it a lot." Pointing at Kaoru who had moved to the other side of the open area. " See how she's smilin'? Kaoru never smiles like that. "

"That's true," Megumi agreed.

As the song faded and the applause rose, Kaoru found herself swarmed by men. They were all pressing to get at her and her face was full of reserved fright. Shaking her head and saying something inaudible to Kenshin's ears, he could tell she was refusing them left and right. The child had managed to escape from Kaoru's grasp and from almost being crushed by the crowd of eager young men. Kenshin felt a pang of jealously, god knows why, course through his body.

"They're getting a bit too excited," Megumi commented as she rose to her feet and moved towards the mass of men.

"Better go help her," Sanosuke said with a large sigh as he rose after Megumi. " You comin', Kenshin?" The red head simply stood and walked quickly towards the group of men. His pace was intent, he knew exactly what he was doing. As though the other men could sense his aura, they parted for him like the Red Sea. They were considerably taller than him, but his power seemed to overwhelm each of them in comparison. He noticed that Kaoru had somehow been pushed to the floor. Feeling the eyes of the other men, and ignoring them, he extended his hand down to Kaoru.

"Señorita Kaoru," He said quietly as he held out his hand. Kaoru swallowed as she took it and felt him pull her to feet. His grip was gentle as he calmly lead her off the floor and towards the table which was still empty. He pulled a chair out for her and she graciously sat down. Kicking her feet out from underneath her red skirt, she sighed and stretched her back out. Kenshin simply stood behind her -- almost guarding her in a manner that kept all the other men away.

"You didn't have to do that," She remarked casually as she turned to face him. Resting her chin on arm that was slung over the chair, she gazed at Kenshin. He smiled a soft smile and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Would you have rather broken your oath?" He asked lightly. Seeing the surprise cloud over her face he mentioned that Sanosuke and Megumi had informed him of her oath and she bowed her head slightly. " It's fine if you don't want to break an oath," Kenshin said gently.

"Yes, yes it is," She agreed and turned away from him. "By the way, where does an Englishman stay in Cali?" Kenshin shrugged, not too sure of the answer himself. He had just arrived that day and had given Sanosuke his small leather bag that held another change of clothes. What Sanosuke did with the bag, he had no idea.

"I know a friend who can put you up," Kaoru offered as she rose to her feet and faced Kenshin. " I think I owe you that much, right?" She smiled a soft smile and her eyes were shining with a beautiful gleam to them.

"He'd rather dance with you, " Sanosuke remarked dryly as he came up behind Kenshin and put his hands on the smaller man's shoulders. " He was watchin' you the whole time. Must have really caught his eye." Both Kenshin and Kaoru were flushed as Sanosuke's words sunk in.

"I-I..." Kaoru stammered but trailed off. " Is that true?" Kenshin swallowed deeply as he tilted his head in a 'yes, I suppose' manner. He rubbed his head thoughtfully as Kaoru remained silent after that.

"Well, I do owe you," She said slowly. She took Kenshin by the hand and put her other one on top of his other hand. " I'll make an exception," She mouthed as she slowly offered him a crooked grin. Kenshin allowed himself to be lead away by the small female with the raven colored hair and a dancer's fiery passion. Despite hiding her passion for the dance, there were leaks in her metaphorical defense and he saw through them completely. Despite what Sanosuke said about her refusing to dance with men because of her father's death, he made a good guess that she really did miss the movement and action of dancing.

"Have you ever danced before?" She asked quietly.

"Only waltzes," He confessed. " Latin dancing is quite different for me, I'm afraid to say." Kaoru nodded and directed him to the less occupied end of the dance floor. She felt the other men who she rejected glaring daggers at her, but she pushed them aside as she stopped and turned so she was facing Kenshin.

"The salsa," She began as she released his hand. " The basic salsa can be done in eight steps," She explained. She moved her right foot forward, then back to the original place. Doing the same with her left foot, she repeated those four steps until Kenshin nodded for her to continue on. " Then you do the same, except sideways." She moved right, back into place, left, back into place.

"To make it more salsa-like, you move your hips," Kaoru continued to explain. She began to swing her hips in a gentle motion. " Put a little more bounce in your step, and you'll completely be able to get it." She took Kenshin's hands into her own and held them in front of them.

"Now, when I put my foot forward, you put yours backwards," She said. " Every movement I make, you do the opposite." Waiting for the music to start up to a proper beat, she ran through the movements with him. Kaoru was impressed -- he caught on quickly and had his own natural rhythm that seemed to mirror that of which Colombians carried with pride. He had yet to step on her feet, she noted, and was thankful that this man was blessed with the ability to dance decently.

The music started up in a quick beat and they took off. They seemed lost in their own little world -- Kaoru gazing into his gentle eyes as he returned the gaze into hers. There was no need for words -- words were spoken through their body language. With the rhythm of the music being their heartbeat, the movement of their bodies being the words, it was a intimate exchange between the two.

Kenshin dipped Kaoru low and supported her gently. Somehow, she felt secure in his arms and trusted him completely that he would not drop her. Bringing her back up to his level, he quickly went back to the standard position and they moved a bit quicker. Their feet never touched but they managed to keep the beat beautifully. It was poetry in motion, Kenshin thought as he changed direction and lead her in the other direction.

"I can see why you enjoy dancing," Kenshin remarked gently as he loosened his grip on her hand, decreasing the tension that he had slowly been letting go of.

"It's different," Kaoru agreed as she moved closer to him and felt him pull her into him, then spun her outwards. " My padre taught me how to dance when I was little." She felt Kenshin bring her back to the standard position again and they continued with the eight basic steps.

"It's a passion," He said. " Señorita Kaoru, make me a promise?" Kaoru nearly lost her rhythm but nodded for him to continue. " I want you to dance more. There's no way-" He spun her around once more as they lowered to the ground and shook their way back up "- That you cannot do this. It's your talent that God gave you." He dipped her backwards again and Kaoru felt him bring her up once more.

Kaoru was silent as she pressed against him as he brought her into another spin. His chest was warm through the simple shirt he was wearing and she could hear his heartbeat. It was a resounding noise in her ears, reminding her of when she used to embrace her father and the sound of his heart would lull her to sleep. Those days, sadly, were no longer there and she longed for them again. If what Kenshin was saying was true, that dancing was her passion, wouldn't she be betraying her father? She promised to only dance with him, but here she was, dancing with another man.

"It's my passion," She repeated softly.

"Don't give up on it," He whispered, his voice husky. As the song concluded, Kenshin spun her once more, and brought her protectively into his chest -- holding her in an embrace. She felt tears well up in her eyes -- she knew he was right: dancing was her passion. If she had been denying herself all these years of something she was good at, what else had she been denying herself of?

_Companionship._

_Friendship._

_Love._

Her eyes snapped open as she felt him release her. This English gentleman -- this foreigner in a strange land... he had brought out her truth. Her real identity was not a weaver but a passionate young woman who was talented in the arts. How could she possibly pay him back? Was it more than a dance that she could pay him with?

"Thank you for this dance," He said and smiled down at her. He took her hand in his and lead her towards the table where Sanosuke and Megumi were sitting, their faces bright and alert. Kaoru's blush must have been evident because Megumi arched her eyebrows.

Perhaps, being friends with the Englishman would be enough.

* * *

:D I really wanted to write this after I took a salsa dancing class with my boyfriend. It was a lot of fun, really, and I think writing Kaoru and Kenshin in Western settings is a lot of fun (albeit a challenge). So, please, enjoy this story and leave me a review. :) I'm going to start a RoRoKen story, but I need help deciding the plot! So, help me choose!

a: Kenshin finds a doll (Kaoru) who comes to life at night. The doll is really host to Kaoru's soul which had been stolen from her.

b: Kaoru is the quiet, shy girl who sits reading her book. Kenshin was the fool who asked her the question and a universal secret is about to be unveiled.


End file.
